Fast-food Industry

July 5, 1985|By Deanne Brandon

TAKEOUT TAKES OFF. Chinese food may well be the fastest growing segment of the nation's $45 million-a-year fast-food industry. Who says so: Albert C. Lasher, chairman of The Fonda Group Inc., a company that makes disposable paper containers. Lasher cited a study by the National Restaurant Association. Statistics: Customer traffic at Chinese restaurants increased 16 percent from 1978 to 1982. From 1982 to 1984, it increased by 23 percent. Another study by the association found that, when the American public eats out, it prefers Chinese over any other ethnic food except Italian.